Star Odyssey

Chapter 3053: The Path Ahead

Lu Tianyi nodded and took a seat across from Lu Yin. "You know of the Fifth Mainland visualization method, but visualization first involves observation, followed by contemplation. Have you ever truly meditated on what the Fifth Mainland is?"

Lu Yin's eyes lit up. It was true that he had never truly meditated on the Fifth Mainland. He believed that the landmass of fatesand in the universe inside his chest was a replicate of the Fifth Mainland due to his own efforts. However, he had never tried to meditated on the true Fifth Mainland to try to strengthen that ability.

"The reason why the Lu family's main line and the branch families use differing visualization methods is because there are distinctions between them," Lu Tianyi explained. "You have always used the Immovable Heavenly King Elephant visualization method, but now that you know that the Immovable Heavenly King Elephant is dead, your path with this visualization method has come to an end. The reason why you are still able to use it at all is because you deliberately forget that the creature is dead, but how long can you do so? Even if you could do this forever, how much improvement would doing so bring you?

"The main family's visualization method has always been the Fifth Mainland itself. Our Lu family rules over the Fifth Mainland, and the Fifth Mainland in turn gives us this visualization power.

"You have a unique advantage in this regard, as you possess the Wordless Heavenly Book. You are the Dao Monarch, someone acknowledged by the Fifth Mainland. You carry the will of the Fifth Mainland. Ancestor Lu Yuan should have already told you of this."

Lu Yin nodded. "I think I understand things now."

Lu Tianyi smiled. "I've wanted to tell you about these things for some time, but you tread a different path from us. It’s possible that you will do even better than anything I can imagine, and for this reason, unless something is absolutely necessary, no one will try to change your cultivation path. Ancestor Lu Yuan didn't dare to tell you anything, as he was afraid that even the slightest change might cause you to go down a different path.

"Little Seven, you are the hope of our Lu family, and all of us are willing to sacrifice ourselves to protect you. We want to nurture you, and yet we don’t dare to do so. Can you understand how we feel?"

Lu Yin felt a warmth fill his heart. "I understand."

Lu Tianyi intoned, "Visualize the Fifth Mainland to increase your strength, Your Infinity will get stronger. Someday, Infinity will envelop all possibilities, allowing you to break through. When that day comes, nobody will be your match in terms of raw strength.

Lu Yin earnestly replied, "I understand, Ancestor. I will definitely achieve that."

Lu Tianyi hummed thoughtfully and then added, "As for your other three inner worlds, I can’t offer you any help, though I do need to speak to you about something."

The man grew very serious as he stared at Lu Yin. "When your third inner world was forming, did you encounter a speck of dust?"

Lu Yin nodded. His Semi-Progenitorial tribulation had taken place before the Lu family’s return, so none of his family had personally witnessed Lu Yin’s last breakthrough.

Lu Tianyi’s tone of voice turned grave. "If I’m not mistaken, that speck of dust should be the Origin Progenitor’s weapon. It’s known as Primaldust."

Lu Yin was shocked. "That’s the Origin Progenitor's weapon?"

No one had mentioned this to Lu Yin. How could his stellular tribulation have made him face the Origin Progenitor's weapon? How could there be any connection to the Origin Progenitor?

The Origin Progenitor had been an unimaginably powerful person, to the point where Lu Yin still could not comprehend the man’s strength.

Even True God and the Great Sovereign, both of whom were Dukkhans, had been suppressed by the Origin Progenitor in the ancient era. Although no one knew if the Origin Progenitor was dead or alive, no one believed that True God had killed him.

The Origin Progenitor had not been seen since the collapse of the First Mainland. No one knew anything about his situation.

Also, the man’s capabilities had similarly been unknown.

Supposedly, the Origin Progenitor had been a Dukkhan, because if he had been an Immortal, how could he have allowed True God to destroy the Heavens Sect?

Even so, regardless of his cultivation level, the Origin Progenitor was known to be the strongest being that humanity had ever seen, unmatched by anyone. Even if Mister Mu held a high place in Lu Yin's heart, he didn't believe that his master could surpass the Origin Progenitor.

Upon learning that the Origin Progenitor's weapon had appeared during his Semi-Progenitor tribulation, Lu Yin felt as though he had personally fought against the Origin Progenitor. It was hard for him to describe his feelings at the moment.

Afraid? Honored? He could not really say.

All Lu Yin could do for the moment was acknowledge the troubling implications. His third inner world was also just a speck of dust, and it perfectly resembled the Primaldust that he had encountered during his stellular tribulation. Could he have somehow taken the Origin Progenitor’s weapon?

Lu Yin chuckled to himself. "How could that be?"

His Dust World was just one of his inner worlds. No matter how he thought about it, it could not possibly be at the Origin Progenitor’s level.

Just what exactly was going on?

Lu Tianyi also felt quite puzzled. He had learned of these things from Ancestor Lu Yuan, who had chosen to not tell Lu Yin, for fear of alarming him.

But when Lu Yin specifically approached Lu Tianyi to ask about his inner worlds, it would not be appropriate to withhold information.

Seeing Lu Yin's expression, Lu Tianyi coughed. "Little Seven, don't overthink things. Just think of the Origin Progenitor as another cultivator."

Lu Yin responded with a wry smile, "That’s easy for you to say, but this is my third inner world. Regardless of how powerful it might be, transforming it into a Progenitor’s world is going to be difficult."

Naturally, Lu Tianyi understood this, but what could they do about it? There were times when it was not good to be overly talented.

After all, not only did Lu Yin have four inner worlds, but he had also cultivated divine energy, which was something that few humans had ever attempted. No one had ever before cultivated such an odd conglomeration of powers, not even the Three Realms and Six Daos.

Who would have thought that Lu Tianyi, who had once been regarded as the strongest person in the Origin Universe and the leader of the Nine Mountains and Eight Seas, to one day be stumped by a Semi-Progenitor’s cultivation path?

After finishing his conversation with Lu Tianyi, Lu Yin returned to the Heavens Sect.

Ancestor Tianyi had promised that he would do his best to think of possible transformation paths for Lu Yin's three other inner worlds.

Of course, Lu Yin was not at all optimistic. Given how long Ancestor Tianyi had lived for, if there was anything new the man might think of, he would have done so already. The man would most likely not have any sudden revelations.

Lu Yin would have to rely on himself.

He suddenly remembered the tea made from the Roots of Intelligence. How great would it be if he could have some more!

Progenitor Hui was still alive, so Lu Yin intended to ask for some more Roots of Intelligence the next time he saw the man, assuming he still had any at all.

Long ago, Xiao Can had been captured and enslaved by the Wang family, after which he was forced to work as a miner until he was released when Lu Yin removed the four ruling powers from the Higher Realm. After an investigation, it had been determined that Xiao Can was the descendant of one of Progenitor Hui’s disciples, which was why he had possessed several Roots of Intelligence. Unfortunately, all of those roots had been used up.

Upon returning to the Heavens Sect, Lu Yin brought out his Wordless Heavenly Book. He intended to use it to meditate on the Fifth Mainland while he strengthened Infinity, but he also wanted to explore additional uses for the Wordless Heavenly Book.

Lu Yin had initially been shocked that he had successfully developed four inner worlds, but that shock had morphed into a matching headache.

Still, after he managed to transform all of his inner worlds into Progenitor’s worlds, things would be very different. Lu Yin could only imagine how powerful he would be at that time.

Lu Yin was confident that, the moment he became a Progenitor, he would be a match for the Seven Skygods. The disparity between Lu Yin and other cultivators was simply too extreme.

But the first thing was to break through.

Lu Yin took a deep breath and calmed himself down. He stared at the Wordless Heavenly Book as he started to meditate on the Fifth Mainland, complementing it with the fatesand continent in his chest.

A month soon passed, but the Infinity Empire still did nothing.

During this month, Lu Yin rolled a four on his die and spent nearly a year in his Timestop Space. He spent that time meditating on the Fifth Mainland. When he emerged and rolled his die for a second round, he was surprised when he failed to roll Timestop even once out of the four rolls.

After ten days, he rolled the die again, and when he got Timestop on his first roll, he immediately continued his meditation session.

The scenery around him changed as Lu Yin returned to the real world. Only a second had passed while he had spent nearly a year in his Timestop Space.

Already, he had spent nearly two years meditating on the Fifth Mainland.

The Wordless Heavenly Book floated in front of him as Lu Yin began to recite the Origin Progenitor’s Sutra. After all, the Origin Sutra was what had triggered the tribulation that eventually became this inner world. In the past, Lu Yin had not thought much about that connection, but he was trying to explore all possible avenues.

As he recited the Origin Sutra, the Wordless Heavenly Book started to emit a faint light, and various voices began to ring out around Lu Yin.

"You little brat! Hand the money over, or else I'll kill you!"

"Don't! I want to cultivate! This is all the star energy I have left."

"Get lost..."

"Master, look, it’s Dao Monarch Lu’s statue."

"Come and show some respect. If not for Dao Monarch Lu, who knows what the Fifth Mainland would be like?"

"Alright..."

"Grandmother, I don't want to cultivate anymore."

"Why not, child?"

"Little Ke’s family bought an energy converter, and now they have the strength of a Hunter. How long will I have to cultivate for to reach that level? There aren’t any wars now, so it doesn’t matter if I don’t cultivate. Let’s just buy an energy converter."

"Nonsense! You know that cultivation is fundamental."

"But there aren’t any enemies now. I'd rather enjoy myself."

"You fool! If war erupts again, everyone who doesn’t cultivate will be completely useless. Even if our family is wiped out, if you cultivate, there will still come a day when you can rise back up. Little Ke’s family lacks foresight, but can our family afford to do that? The peace that Dao Monarch Lu achieved was not easily obtained, and it’s not something for you to squander. Kneel before the Dao Monarch’s statue and apologize..."

Lu Yin’s eyes snapped back open, complex motions flitting across his eyes. The universe was a busy place that was filled with countless creatures, each with their own lives. Cultivation carried certain harsh realities with it, while peace brought its own discomforts. God’s Domain was a prime example of this. If the day ever came when the Divine Maiden was unable to hold back Di Qiong, God’s Domain would be absolutely and completely destroyed.

A person could never allow themselves to stop walking the path that they had chosen, even if that path became twisted and winding.

Was humanity at peace? Of course not, but there were certain details that could not be shared, which meant that an alternative path to war needed to be offered.

A few days later, the Heavens Sect released an announcement, declaring that the Sixverse Tournament would soon be held. There would be separate categories for the various cultivation levels that matched the Sentinel, Melder, Limiteer, Explorer, Cruiser, Hunter, Enlighter, and Envoy realms. There would be combat tournaments for each category so that the strongest within a given realm could be determined. The winners would be allowed to join the Heavens Sect and cultivate there while receiving focused training and resources provided by the Sixverse Association. This was to prepare for the looming war.

The announcement caused the entire Sixverse Association to erupt.

As soon as any information regarding the First Scourge was leaked, Aeternus had sealed off the First Scourge and hunkered down. This isolationist policy had led most of the Sixverse Association to feel relaxed and at ease. The forthcoming tournament rekindled a fiery enthusiasm in countless hearts.

Who did not want to leave a mark of their own in history?

This tournament would be held for each cultivation level, including even Sentinels. This would give many people an opportunity to rise high.

At that moment, countless people from across the Sixverse Association decided that they would shine in the tournament.

Lu Yin closed his eyes while reciting the Origin Progenitor's Sutra. Once again, he heard the voices of the busy universe start to speak.

"I want to compete! I want to be the best!"

"Little brat, do you really think that you can win?"

"Father, if I win, there’s no limit to what I’ll be able to accomplish in the future. What could anyone possibly want what the winner won’t have?"

"That’s true, hahaha. Go for it, son. Your father will support you. I’ll steal whatever you need..."

"Master, I’m sure to win! I have no peers among Limiteers!"

"Hehe, your master will do everything possible to help you. When you win the tournament and meet Dao Monarch Lu, say hello to him for me."

"Yes, Master..."

"My son, you must excel and make our Fifth Mainland proud."

"For this Sixverse Tournament, our Fifth Mainland must win in each category! We cannot disgrace Dao Monarch Lu..."